Here
by thingsjusthappen
Summary: In which Emma dies and ends up in the Enchanted Forest. AU-SQ


_A/N: This happened. I don't know why but it did. No, it will not be continued. It's just a one-shot. If anyone wants to continue it they are more than welcome too. Just PM me and we can talk about it and yeah. If you read my other stories you know to ignore spelling, grammar, and plot-holes because I obviously did. ;) So without further rambling from me. Enjoy._

* * *

 _ **Here.**_  
 _ **"To die will be an awfully big adventure."**_  
 _ **― J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan**_

She saw no fear of death in verdant orbs as her magic held the mysterious woman against the wall with a tight pressure around her throat. It was curious that this woman held no fear. It was rare for someone to not be afraid when in her presence, a part of her was intrigued by the mysterious stranger. "So tell me, do you not fear death?" Emma blinked as she looked down at the woman who'd been addressed as _Your Majesty_ when the guards had brought her from outside the castle's walls where she'd been found unconscious. She'd regained slight consciousness upon entering the _Queen's_ throne room. Full consciousness had been regained when she'd heard the _Queen_ tell everyone to leave them. Upon opening her eyes the Queen had thrown her against the nearest wall which is where she was now looking at the woman.

"No." Why would she fear death when she'd been on the cusp of it since she'd turned twenty and had been diagnosed with cancer? That had been four years ago. The doctors had been surprised she'd lasted so long with the type of cancer she'd been diagnosed with. It was rare to the point that most modern treatments didn't work as well. But they'd fought it for four years until it'd progressed to stage four and had spread to her bones.

Emma Swan was a fighter, a survivor. She'd worked as a bounty hunter or bail bondsperson since the age of fifteen having lied about her age. By seventeen she'd gained her GED and was loving everything about being a bounty hunter. Finding people was her niche and something she enjoyed. Emma had thought she found her place in life, until tireless cancer treatments and seemingly endless surgeries had unexpectedly popped up in her life. She fought for her life because she wanted to live, she'd been dealt a crappy hand in life and had made the best of it. She hadn't wanted cancer to be the last crappy card in her so she'd fought until the very end.

Looking into dark chocolate orbs, she felt no fear of death because she had died but for some reason unknown to her she'd been found unconscious in this other world. Was this Hell? No, hell wouldn't have such a gorgeously breathtaking woman as its ruler, or maybe it would.

"Why?" Her voice held a natural husk to it, that Emma found alluring even as she was held to the wall with magic and being choke of the natural flow of air to her lungs. Emma just looked at the woman before her, she held curiosity behind her gaze as Emma found she was unable to speak because of the lack of oxygen. The Queen exhaled before Emma fell to her knees hard and gasped at the huge flow of air that entered her lungs. As she began coughing she couldn't help but laugh at the absurd nature of what she thought was her final dream. The Queen quirked an eyebrow as Emma looked up at her wiping the tears from her eyes at how hard she'd been coughing and laughing.

"Man, hospice really knows how to make you go in peace." Emma still held a smile on her face as she continued to wipe at her eyes.

"Who are these Hospice people?" The Queen questioned looking at the delusional woman.

"They make death easier, less painful. But no matter how much morphine they pumped into me, I could still feel the pain. Although now I can't, so I guess the cancer finally won and I'm dead. Welp, another mark on the tally board for Cancer." Emma snorted as she sat back on her butt reaching out to rub her aching knees from the hard landing moments ago. "So, are you like the bridge between heaven and hell? You the one who gets to deem my worthiness before I'm sentenced to one or the other?" Emma asked as she leaned back until her back rest against the cold stone.

"Are you under some sort of disillusion enchantment? I am the one known as the Evil Queen, or Queen Regina to my subjects. I am no bridge between Heaven and Hell. I am certainly not the one to deem you worthy or not." The Queen spoke as Emma just continued to look at the woman before her. She felt no pain, no dulling ache that she'd come to associate with her body attempting to fight off the cancer. In all actuality she felt better than she had in years, could this really be death? Emma took her eyes from the woman and looked down at her hands. She opened and closed them a few times flipping them over in the process. This was real, not a dream. She looked at her pajama pants and let out a slight chuckle. If this was a dream she wouldn't be wearing what she'd been wearing in the hospital.

"I'm really here, like this isn't a dream?" Emma slowly looked up at the woman whose features had dropped the mask of indifference and showed a hint of concern. Emma slowly found her way to her feet and slowly stepped toward the woman who only watched her. "I know I died." Emma whispered as she stopped in front of regally dressed Queen. "But yet, here I am, alive in some other time or world." Emma's voice was still a whisper as she slowly brought her hand up to the woman's face. She had magic, she could stop Emma if she wanted but she didn't as Emma's hand cupped her jawline and her thumb slowly stroked her cheek. "You're real. I'm not going to wake up because this isn't a dream. I'm not fading into an abyss. This, this is real." Emma's voice was still just a whisper, as if what she was saying was a secret between just the two of them.

Tears welled in her eyes and Emma allowed them to fall freely as she stared at the woman before her. "I-I know I died." She repeated as the Queen reached up and placed her hand over Emma's.

"You are alive, dear. I assure you that this is real." Regina spoke softly. When this stranger had been found outside her castle walls she'd been furious because just a two nights ago Queen Snow and King James had sent spies to her kingdom to try and take something of great value to her. She'd believed this unconscious stranger to be one of the spies who'd been left behind when her guard told her they'd found someone.

When they brought the blonde woman to her, Regina had been surprised to see she was wearing a black tank top and thin pants with some foreign design on them. She was without shoes, weapons, anything to really defend herself. It was then that Regina had felt the magic pulsating within the stranger that she'd ordered all from her presence to deal with the mysterious stranger. Regina had stepped closer with a hesitancy unsure if the woman was faking being unconscious.

When she'd awoken Regina had immediately used her magic. As she stepped closer it slightly confused her that she saw no fear in the woman's eyes, not even a hint of being afraid to lose her life. There was a bit of confusion held in the emerald orbs but upon that, nothing else.

"So where am I exactly?" Emma asked as Regina still held her hand over hers. She didn't know why she was allowing such tenderness or even allowing herself to be touched, this could all be a game. No, looking into this stranger's eyes, she could tell that it was genuine. The woman truly did not know how she was alive and well here, in this place.

"My castle in the Enchanted Forest."

"I'm not dreaming?" Regina shook her head.

"You are very much awake, dear."

"I don't understand how I'm here or even alive."

"Magic," Regina spoke her voice still soft not wanting to upset the mysterious woman. Emma looked into her eyes and believed her. She really had no other choice, no other explanation logical or fantastical.

"I'm Emma." This made Regina chuckle as she enclosed her hand around Emma's and removed it from her cheek but still held it.

"Regina," She offered as Emma thought to her previous position the moment she'd opened her eyes. This woman before her was dangerous and didn't hesitate to use her powers.

"Are you going to kill me, Regina?" Regina looked at her, no, she wasn't going to. This young woman intrigued her. She wanted to know more about her and why she truly believed that she was supposed to be dead.

"I have a feeling you'd be of better use to me alive, Emma." Emma chuckled with a shrug.

"Well I ended up her for a reason."

"Yes, apparently you did."


End file.
